The Atlas of Marine Protection (mpatlas.org) is an online resource and webapp by Marine Conservation Institute that lets users discover the world's marine protected areas and see amounts and types of protections within regions around the global ocean.

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Seattle, WA—April 19, 2017—Marine Conservation Institute announced today the members of the Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES) Science Council. The interdisciplinary Science Council is comprised of 23 renowned marine scientists with broad geographic and technical expertise in marine protected areas (MPAs). The Science Council will be responsible for maintaining science-based criteria for Global Ocean Refuges and deciding which MPAs will be awarded Global Ocean Refuge status. The Science Council will make decisions based on in-depth reviews of the nominated sites’ conservation effectiveness prepared by Global Ocean Refuge System staff.

GLORES is the institute’s flagship initiative designed to accelerate the implementation of MPAs to achieve strong protection for at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, while simultaneously improving the quality of marine protected areas. The initiative aims to safeguard marine biodiversity by giving prestigious awards to incentivize governments and international organizations to meet science-based standards as they implement MPAs.

“Despite recent impressive progress to establish marine protected areas globally, current efforts are not keeping pace with the threats to marine wildlife and habitats. Global Ocean Refuges are marine protected areas that meet science-based standards for design, management and enforcement, and effectively contribute to biodiversity conservation,” said Dr. Lance Morgan, President of Marine Conservation Institute. He continued, “I am absolutely thrilled by the impressive array of expertise on the GLORES Science Council and look forward to working with the Council members as we prepare to announce the inaugural sites this fall.”

The inaugural Global Ocean Refuge sites will be announced at the 4th International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Chile this September 2017.

About Marine Conservation Institute

Marine Conservation Institute is a team of highly-experienced marine scientists and environmental-policy advocates dedicated to saving ocean life for us and future generations. The organization’s overarching goal is to help the world create an urgently-needed worldwide system of strongly protected areas—the Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES)—a strategic, cost-effective way to ensure future diversity and abundance of marine life. For more information, please go to: http://www.marine-conservation.org and https://globaloceanrefuge.org/